There's a lot for which to be thankful. Son Number One got in before the storm at one o'clock this morning and is sound asleep in his bed. Son Number Two will be staying in Cleveland and having dinner with a roommate's family, but he'll call and that's somehow OK. I thought not having him with us for the very first time in his twenty years would be gut-wrenching, but he'll be home in three weeks, and to my motherly delight I find that he is really and truly with me all the time anyway. One day here or there isn't going to change that. I hope he has fun, doesn't feel guilty or lonely, and makes his hosts laugh the way he does us. There is a priest half-way across the Atlantic Ocean at this point, who will arrive in Boston sometime this afternoon (please, God) unless he gets stuck in Philadelphia, which an abnormally large number of my friends do when they fly US Airways for some reason.
There will be faces missing at the table, which will make my heart ache a little. Not the "couldn't make it this year" faces, but the "See you when you get to Heaven" faces. I hope they are all saving me a seat at their table. Himself's father will be here, but we will wend our way to the nursing home to see his mother at some point later in the day, even though she won't know we're there in all probability. But his sister and her family will crowd round the table, and Son Number One's wonderful violin teacher from elementary school and beyond will join us, and it's all good.
There will be no trips to the mall for the big sale. We will boycott any store that stays open on Thanksgiving. We are in danger of losing something very precious in this country, and the opening of stores on family holidays is just one symptom of it. And the boycott will be permanent. I won't set a foot in Macy's or K-Mart, Walmart, or Kohl's or Target's again. At least not until they change their anti-family policies. There are other places to buy gifts. Local shops and owner-run boutiques abound and they could certainly use the business. And I'm backing off gift giving in general this year anyway. I've gotten to the point where I don't want things. I want time. Time with my family, time to think, time to write, time to meditate, time to be grateful.
We will all join hands around the table and we won't let the priest say the grace because he's on vacation, and I have a perfectly good relationship with the Deity myself. We talk all day long, every day, and tomorrow won't be any different. So blessings to you all on this pause in the chaos when we stop to appreciate what we already have. Don't buy into the madness. Take a breath and cherish the moment.
There will be faces missing at the table, which will make my heart ache a little. Not the "couldn't make it this year" faces, but the "See you when you get to Heaven" faces. I hope they are all saving me a seat at their table. Himself's father will be here, but we will wend our way to the nursing home to see his mother at some point later in the day, even though she won't know we're there in all probability. But his sister and her family will crowd round the table, and Son Number One's wonderful violin teacher from elementary school and beyond will join us, and it's all good.
There will be no trips to the mall for the big sale. We will boycott any store that stays open on Thanksgiving. We are in danger of losing something very precious in this country, and the opening of stores on family holidays is just one symptom of it. And the boycott will be permanent. I won't set a foot in Macy's or K-Mart, Walmart, or Kohl's or Target's again. At least not until they change their anti-family policies. There are other places to buy gifts. Local shops and owner-run boutiques abound and they could certainly use the business. And I'm backing off gift giving in general this year anyway. I've gotten to the point where I don't want things. I want time. Time with my family, time to think, time to write, time to meditate, time to be grateful.
We will all join hands around the table and we won't let the priest say the grace because he's on vacation, and I have a perfectly good relationship with the Deity myself. We talk all day long, every day, and tomorrow won't be any different. So blessings to you all on this pause in the chaos when we stop to appreciate what we already have. Don't buy into the madness. Take a breath and cherish the moment.
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